Comic Book Review: ‘Flashpoint Legion Of Doom’ #3

There are only 2 weeks left in the Flashpoint, and then everything changes… again when the DC Universe reboots. To say the third issues of most of the tie-ins (with the exception of ‘Batman’ and ‘Frankenstein’) have been a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. It seemed like most of the writers for these 3 issue arcs were writing as if they had more time, and then just threw an ending on some very promising stories.

I wasn’t really upset with the way writer, Adam Glass ended the Legion of Doom tie-in. I was upset that after 2 issues of no holds barred, no one is safe action, the story ended in a very predictable fashion.

This book has been far and away the darkest corner of the Flashpoint. The story started out with the murder of 1/2 of Firestorm and the first book ended with Plastic Man being muled into prison and killing Cluemaster in the process. So when the story ended with the hero (Cyborg in this case) saving the day, I was actually disappointed.

Now, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy ‘Legion of Doom’ #3, I thoroughly did. In fact, I credit Adam Glass and his art team for making Plastic Man terrifying… let me repeat that. In ‘Legion of Doom’ #3, Plastic Man is terrifying; so much so, I’d much rather see him play a villain. The last splash page of the book/mini-series really says it all. When it comes to heroes going bad, honestly when was the last time a DC Universe character had a good old fashioned heel turn?

This book was dark and twisted in an already messed up universe, and while it didn’t pack the punch ‘Batman: Knight of Vengeance’ did from start to finish, ‘Legion of Doom’ is worthy of being called the second best tie-in to the Flashpoint event (with Frankenstein being a very close Third). I really hope DC Comics does not put the Flashpoint completely to bed when the new Universe kicks in later this month. I would love to visit this story again and see how Plastic Man is coping with being crazy and perhaps running a crime syndicate. Or something along those lines?

Do yourself a favor, find the closest comic book store to your house; then run out and pick up all three issues to this story. If you like villains, or just reading a cool story, this is the mini-series for you.

Brian Tudor

One of Brian’s earliest Sci-Fi memory is the Rancor from Jedi, even before that he could be seen running around the yard with an imaginary Luke Skywalker and stuffed Chewbacca in tow, fighting the dark side. Frank Herbert’s Dune further refined his Sci-Fi taste and the love affair was set in place. It was the discovery of comic books and superheroes that put him over the edge. After a brief hiatus from comics, Kevin Smith’s run on Green Arrow brought him back to the land of tights, flight, super speed and gadgets galore! Currently, his home office is littered with action figures, Lego, and, comic book, all threatening to overtake him at any time.